Heat storage apparatus and air conditioner having same

Abstract

An air conditioner includes a heat storage apparatus for storing heat emitted from a compressor arranged in an outdoor unit, wherein the heat storage apparatus includes a heat storage tank installed in the compressor for storing heat emitted from the compressor and a heat transfer member configured to deliver heat emitted from the compressor to the heat storage tank, wherein the heat storage tank includes a first heat transfer face configured to have a form corresponding to a part of an outer circumferential face of the compressor to come into contact with the outer circumferential face of the compressor and a pair of second heat transfer faces configured to extend from both ends of the first heat transfer face to be in parallel to each other and form space with the outer circumferential face of the compressor, and wherein the heat transfer member is arranged in the space.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An air conditioner comprising a heat storage apparatus for storing heat emitted from a compressor arranged in an outdoor unit,
 wherein the heat storage apparatus comprises 
 a heat storage tank installed in the compressor for storing heat emitted from the compressor; and 
 a heat transfer member configured to deliver heat emitted from the compressor to the heat storage tank, 
 wherein the heat storage tank comprises 
 a first heat transfer face configured to have a form corresponding to a part of an outer circumferential face of the compressor to come into contact with the outer circumferential face of the compressor; and 
 a pair of second heat transfer faces configured to extend from both ends of the first heat transfer face to be in parallel to each other and form space with the outer circumferential face of the compressor, and 
 wherein the heat transfer member is arranged in the space. 
 
     
     
       2. The air conditioner of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first heat transfer face is formed to come into contact with less than half of the outer circumferential face of the compressor. 
 
     
     
       3. The air conditioner of  claim 2 ,
 wherein a gap between the pair of second heat transfer faces is larger than diameter of the compressor. 
 
     
     
       4. The air conditioner of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the heat transfer member comprises a compressor faced face arranged to face the outer circumferential face of the compressor for receiving heat emitted from the compressor, and a pair of heat storage tank faced faces arranged to face the pair of second heat transfer faces for delivering the heat received through the compressor faced face to the heat storage tank, and 
 wherein the compressor faced face faces a part of the outer circumferential face of the compressor between the pair of second heat transfer faces while the heat storage tank is installed in the compressor. 
 
     
     
       5. The air conditioner of  claim 4 ,
 wherein an accumulator is installed in an inlet pipe through which a refrigerant flows into the compressor, and 
 wherein the heat transfer member is arranged in the space to be apart from the accumulator. 
 
     
     
       6. The air conditioner of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the heat transfer member is configured to have a thin plate formed along a side to another of the pair of heat storage tank faced faces. 
 
     
     
       7. The air conditioner of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the heat transfer member is comprised of a plurality of heat transfer elements equipped in the compressor in the space. 
 
     
     
       8. The air conditioner of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the heat transfer member further comprises a connection member connecting the plurality of heat transfer elements. 
 
     
     
       9. The air conditioner of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the connection member is mounted on an installation part installed on the outer circumferential face of the compressor for allowing the plurality of heat transfer elements to be positioned against the compressor. 
 
     
     
       10. The air conditioner of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the plurality of heat transfer elements are fixed to the connection member by bolts. 
 
     
     
       11. The air conditioner of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the connection member comprises a plurality of through holes through which the bolts pass, and at least one of the plurality of through holes has the form of a slit-shaped ellipse. 
 
     
     
       12. The air conditioner of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the connection member comprises a projection protruding outwardly from an opposite face of the face to which the plurality of heat transfer elements are fixed, and a notch formed below the projection, and 
 wherein the notch is combined with the installation part to position the connection member against the compressor. 
 
     
     
       13. The air conditioner of  claim 12 ,
 wherein the accumulator is supported against the installation part installed on the outer circumferential face of the compressor. 
 
     
     
       14. The air conditioner of  claim 13 ,
 further comprising: a fixing member to fix the heat transfer member and the heat storage tank, wherein the fixing member presses the heat transfer member toward the compressor to adhere the heat storage tank and heat transfer member to the compressor. 
 
     
     
       15. The air conditioner of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the projection comprises upper and lower projections and the fixing member makes contacts between the upper and lower projections to press the connection member toward the compressor and press the heat transfer member toward the compressor by the connection member pressed toward the compressor. 
 
     
     
       16. The air conditioner of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the heat transfer member is a metal with heat conductivity of more than 50 W/mK. 
 
     
     
       17. The air conditioner of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a heat exchanger for heat storage formed of a member in the shape of a pipe in the heat storage tank for allowing a refrigerant flowing inside to change heat with a heat storage member contained in the heat storage tank is arranged, and a part of the pipe forming the heat exchanger for heat storage passes through the inside of the heat transfer member. 
 
     
     
       18. A heat storage apparatus comprising:
 a heat storage tank installed in a compressor for storing heat emitted from the compressor; and 
 a heat transfer member configured to deliver heat emitted from the compressor to the heat storage tank, 
 wherein the heat storage tank comprises 
 a first heat transfer face configured to have a form corresponding to a part of an outer circumferential face of the compressor to come into contact with the outer circumferential face of the compressor; and 
 a pair of second heat transfer faces configured to extend from both ends of the first heat transfer face to be in parallel to each other and form space with the outer circumferential face of the compressor, and 
 wherein the heat transfer member is arranged in the space. 
 
     
     
       19. A heat storage apparatus comprising:
 a heat storage tank installed in a compressor for storing heat emitted from the compressor; and 
 an auxiliary heat capacity member configured to receive heat emitted from the compressor to increase heat capacity of the compressor, 
 wherein the heat storage tank comprises 
 a first heat transfer face configured to have a form corresponding to a part of an outer circumferential face of the compressor to come into contact with the outer circumferential face of the compressor; and 
 a pair of second heat transfer faces configured to extend from both ends of the first heat transfer face to be in parallel to each other and form space with the outer circumferential face of the compressor, and 
 wherein the auxiliary heat capacity member is arranged in the space. 
 
     
     
       20. The heat storage apparatus of  claim 19 ,
 wherein the auxiliary heat capacity member has heat diffusivity of more than 1.0×0 −5  m 2 /s.